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16.04.2008 13:22
Euro 2008 vaccinations
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Xavi, Carles Puyol, Andrés Iniesta, Deco and Gianluca Zambrotta were all given vaccinations on Wednesday against Central European encephalitis ahead of the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland during the summer.
The three Spanish internationals and their Portuguese and Italian club mates visited the Barça medical staff to have the injections in order to be eligible to go the tournament. UEFA have told every country's Football Association that will participate at Euro 2008 that their entire squad and coaching staff must all have had the vaccinations in order to attend. Spain, Italy and Portugal all named interim squads in order to ensure that their coaches can choose from a large pool of players that have had the jabs.
Late arrivals
The fine Barça players that had to have the injections did not go to El Montayà first thing with the rest of the first team squad and instead travelled in later in the day. All of them apart from Andrés Iniesta were able to be put through their paces.
Central European encephalitis
Tick-borne meningoencephalitis or Tick-borne encephalitis is a tick-borne viral infection of the
central nervous system affecting humans as well as most other mammals. The virus can infect the
brain (encephalitis), the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) or both
(meningoencephalitis). It is transmitted by the bite of infected deer ticks or (rarely) through the
non-pasteurized milk of infected cows.
